Delta Air Lines is transforming the sleep experience in the air by offering Westin Heavenly® In-Flight bedding, designed and manufactured exclusively for Delta, in all of its BusinessElite cabins throughout the world.

The new Westin Heavenly In-Flight bedding product will be available on all BusinessElite® International flights, as well as BusinessElite flights between New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattleand between Atlanta and Honolulu, beginning in June 2013. BusinessElite customers will receive a Westin Heavenly sleeping pillow and a comforter with extra luxurious loft. Passengers on flights over 12 hours also will receive a lumbar pillow.

Delta is committed to providing our customers with the best possible sleep experience in the skies and we're excited to partner with another leader in the travel category, Westin Hotels and Resorts, who shares this goal," said Joanne Smith , Delta's senior vice president – In Flight Service. "In recent surveys, customers have told us that the most important part of the in-flight experience is sleep. The new Westin Heavenly In-Flight bedding product is just one of the new amenities Delta is introducing to ensure customers achieve a restful, rejuvenating in-flight experience."

We are delighted to bring the Westin Heavenly experience to thousands of Delta travelers around the world especially at a time when Westin is experiencing tremendous growth in key markets around the world," said Brian Povinelli , Global Brand Leader for Westin Hotels. "Getting a good night's sleep is the number one priority for our guests and we are renowned for providing travelers with the best bed and sleep experience in the business. Westin Heavenly In-Flight bedding will ensure Delta's customers will be renewed and refreshed when they land. Now consumers can experience the brand's Heavenly sleep experience in-flight, in our hotels and even in their homes."

In addition to the new Westin Heavenly In-Flight bedding, Delta is making investments in several other products and services to revamp the in-flight sleep experience. These include a white noise channel on Delta Radio, and new BusinessElite amenity kits featuring Tumi and Malin+Goetz products.

Delta is also enhancing the sleep experience by expanding full flat-bed seating. Delta is introducing full flat-bed seats in the BusinessElite cabin of all transcontinental flights operating between New York and Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattlebeginning in March 2013. All of Delta's Boeing 757 and 767 aircraft serving these transcontinental markets will offer the flatbed seats over the next 24 months. Delta's decision to install full flat-bed seats on its transcontinental flights complements the airline's current investment in full flat-bed seats on its entire international widebody fleet of more than 140 aircraft. By the end of 2013, 70 percent of all Delta aircraft will have flat beds and, in early 2014, Delta's entire widebody fleet is scheduled to be complete.

As a direct result of customer feedback, flight attendants are also modifying their in-flight service to better foster sleep. BusinessElite flights now offer an "Express Meal" that features lighter fare and a one-step delivery process on all international flights departing after 9 p.m. and flights between JFK and London's Heathrow Airport. Delta will be designing a similar express meal menu for BusinessElite flights that are less than 10 hours long, as well as transcontinental flights.

To create a more restful cabin environment, flight attendants also are now proactively adjusting for appropriate lighting based on the time of day and streamlining cabin announcements to decrease noise disruptions.

Delta is showcasing its renewed focus on sleep at TED2013 in Long Beach, California, Feb. 26-March 1. The airline will host a talk from renowned Oxford neuroscientist and sleep expert Dr. Russell Foster addressing jet lag and how the eye tells time and demonstrate his research in action with the world's first Photon Shower – a small light chamber that conference attendees can enter for a short period of time to help reset their body clocks through a personalized, rejuvenating light treatment.

The Photon Shower, along with Delta's new amenity kits, charging stations and a juice bar, will live in Delta's "Power Up" lounge, a space designed to help revitalize and energize TED attendees. Conference goers can also relax and wind down in Delta's "Power Down" lounge, a second activation space featuring flat-bed seats with Westin Heavenly In-Flight bedding, nap pods, and white noise calming music. Delta's Sleep Bar at the Westin Long Beach will also provide conference attendees premium items and hospitality focused around aiding sleep.

Known as the travel industry's innovative leader, Westin revolutionized the travel industry with the 1999 launch of the Heavenly® Bed, an icon that inspired countless imitators. Due to incredible popular demand, Westin became the first hotel company to sell a signature retail line with the unveiling of the Heavenly® Bed in-room catalogue in 2000.

China Airlines has partnered with W Hotel’s first Chinese restaurant YEN to create an 'In-Flight Gastronomic Celebration' for China Airlines passengers. Designed by executive chef Khai Meng Kong, the sumptuous menu of creative Cantonese dishes features fresh local ingredients. Combined with W Hotel Taipei’s most popular cocktails, the delectable menu will provide a sophisticated dining experience to passengers flying First or Business Class to the U.S., China, and Northeast Asia.

The 'In-Flight Gastronomic Celebration' includes a tantalizing menu of four in-flight meals, which are planned to be launched quarter by quarter. From January to March, First Class passengers can enjoy 'Duck liver mousse with hawthorn jelly' or 'Red yeast duck breast braised in pineapple beer' as an appetizer; 'Nantou chicken consommé with champignon and yam;' a choice of four mains – 'Steamed cod fillet with Yilan licorice olives, Cantonese-style black beans and arrowroot,' 'Pork belly ribs in Chiayi kumquat Worcestershire sauce,' 'Taiwanese Sakura shrimp with XO chili sauce and bamboo shoots' and 'Taiwanese organic fried rice with Hong Kong style sausage, Taiwanese pickled turnip and garlic'; and finally, 'Sweet soup with purple yam, garbanzo beans and red dates' for dessert. In Business Class, China Airlines provids 'Sakura shrimp with bamboo shoots', 'BBQ pork in plum sauce with turnip cake' and 'Jasmine fried rice with crab meat and flying fish roe.'

In addition, the bartenders at W Hotel Taipei have created four exquisite cocktails to go with the four First Class meals, including 'Doctor Goes Away,' a concoction of vodka, apple liqueur, apple juice, lemon juice and Sprite; 'Fashionista,' made of Sauvignon Blanc, cassis liqueur, cranberry juice, lemon juice and syrup; 'CO2 Melo,' a blend of Taiwanese winter melon and beer; and 'M.I.T.,' a medley of pineapple juice, orange juice, lime juice and vodka.

China Airlines is the only airline in Taiwan that provides First Class services, which are mostly offered on flights to and from Los Angeles and San Francisco in the U.S. and. Beijing and Shanghai in China. China Airlines’ First Class cabin features 12 seats that recline into fully flat beds, and its turn-down service is an industry first in Taiwan. At the start of 2013, China Airlines is pleased to partner with W Hotel Taipei on the 'In-Flight Gastronomic Celebration' for First and Business Class passengers. For its Economy Class passengers, China Airlines will offer a new Chinese-style menu starting in February designed by four Taiwanese star chefs. China Airlines is committed to enhancing every aspect of a passenger’s journey, and the culinary feast is the latest in China Airlines’ efforts to win passengers over with an unmatched level of service.

famtripper fun fact

Ponte Vecchio'sDid you know that the Ponte Vecchio's status as the oldest bridge in Florence saved it from destruction? During the Nazi retreat, they thankfully defied orders to blow it up. The ancient buildings on either side of the Arno River were not spared, they were sadly destroyed.